Local carers encouraged to participate in important national survey
Every other year, people who are informal carers for adults, are encouraged to take part in the Annual Survey of Adult Carers in England.
The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England is designed to understand more about the experiences of carers aged 18 or over, who care for someone aged 18 or over. All councils in England with adult social services responsibilities are required to take part. The national programme is currently led by the Department of Health and Social Care.
This work complements the national carers strategy which focuses on supporting carers’ financial, mental and physical wellbeing.
An informal carer could be someone who looks after a partner, family member or friend in need of support or services because of frailty, physical or learning disability, addiction, or illness, including mental illness. Carers are asked about their views on the services they, and the person they care for, receive. The questions also cover their general health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Carers should start receiving the postal survey from the first week in October.
All feedback from the survey will be used to help Shropshire Council better understand the needs of local carers, and any ways in which local support may need to change to respond to the issues reported.
Councillor Ruth Houghton, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Social Care, commented:
“Please respond to the survey if you receive a copy in the post over the coming weeks. Those who provide unpaid care do incredible work looking after those who may be ill, frail, have disabilities, poor mental health or addictions.
Without this support many people wouldn’t manage alone. It is essential that we look after our unpaid carers and take the time to understand their experiences and needs.
Tanya Miles, Interim Chief Executive and Director of Adult Social Care, added:
A covering letter will be issued to explain all about the survey and how to respond, along with a freepost envelope. The survey is based mainly on tick box, multiple choice questions and is designed nationally, to be as simple as possible to complete.
The more people who take part, the more useful the results will be and Shropshire Council can also provide the survey in other formats for those who need it, such as a large text version or arrange translation of the survey into another language.
I will look forward to seeing the results and hearing from our local carers.
Those who may struggle to complete the survey, can contact the customer service team on 0348 678 9077 for advice.
Further information
The survey is part of a national programme led by the Department of Health and Social Care (previously led by NHS England). Shropshire Council delivers the survey on behalf of NHS England and follows national guidance to ensure surveying is consistent across all local authorities. The data enables councils to benchmark against their peers and to gather information to support their local commissioning, performance and strategy. The survey also supplies data for a number of measures in the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework.
The survey covers informal, unpaid carers aged 18 or over, caring for a person aged 18 or over, where the carer has been assessed or reviewed, either separately or jointly with the cared-for person, by social services during the 12 months prior to the sample being identified. Carers were sent questionnaires, issued by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs), to seek their opinions on a number of topics that are considered to be indicative of a balanced life alongside their caring role.
Read about the data collected in previous surveys here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/personal-social-services-survey-of-adult-carers
